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Greek Gods and Goddess: Aedon

Introduction to Aedon

The ancient Greek Gods and Goddess contain a wealth of stories and legends, wrapped in Myths which typically provide a story with a morale code designed to influence the reader into behaviour as fitting Greek culture of the era.

In this article, we look at Aedon and the myths and legends surrounding Aedon, Aedon relationship to and with other Greek Gods and Goddess and key events and stories which relate to ancient astrology and the changing seasons.

About Aedon

She was the daughter of Pandareus and Harmothoe, and her sisters were, Cleothera or Cleodora, Merope, Cheldonis, Cameiro, and Clytia. Aedon was the wife of Polytechnus, the couple foolishly boasted their love for each was even greater than that of Hera for Zeus, which came to Hera attention who immediately sent Eris (strife) to cause trouble between them. At that time Polytechnus was making a chair and Aedon was making a piece of embroidery; they decided that whichever of them should finish their work first would be given a female slave by the other as a prize. Hera seized the opportunity and helped Aedon finish her piece, this infuriated Polytechnus who immediately went to her father's house, and pretended that Aedon was desperate to see her sister. Her father agreed to let her sister Chelidonis go back with him, but on the way, he raped her and dressed her in the garments of a slave a threatened her to keep silent, then he presented her as the prize to his wife. One day, when Chelidonis thought she was alone, she wept and lamented about what had happened and Aedon overheard her. Then the pair of them decided on a plan of action; they murdered Aedon's son by Polytechnus, cooked and served up as dinner to his father, then together they fled to their father's house. When Poltechnus realised what had happened he went after them, but their father stripped and bound him and covered him in honey, and left him to be tormented to death by insects. After a while Aedon took pity on her husband's sufferings and presumably prayed to Zeus, who relieved his suffering by turning him into a Pelican, Aedon into a nightingale, her father into a sea eagle, Chelidonis into a swallow, and their brother into a Hoopoe (although oddly no brother is named).